The First 'I Love You'
by eggrollassassin
Summary: Anna awaits Kristoff's return and they share a special moment as she tends to his 'baggage.' Fluffy one-shot, I appreciate reviews-it's my first story :) [Kristanna]


The time was nearing late October when the seasons were in the midst of shifting. The days were shorter, the nights got longer. The mornings were exceptionally beautiful as well. The first rays of sun peeked through the valleys between the mountains casting shadows all along the tree line and brightening the untouched snow. Here or there a bird would land on the branch of an evergreen and shift the cold powder to the ground and all along the earth a small whisper of a sound would travel. Evergreens became oaks and cedars, the white ground turned to browns and greens the farther down the mountains went. Small acorns littered the ground along with the tumbling golden leaves. A small stream flowed near by, babbling its way through mud and pebbles sharing its tale with the branches above. Tracks of deer and moose and rabbits and men could be seen scampering through trails, slightly cracked around the edges from the cold. Through the air, hues of reds, tans, and periwinkle climbed the mass expanse of blue with not a single cloud in the sky. It was a mix of autumn and winter—a contrast between the snowy mountains and golden hills. This was a beautiful time of year for Arendelle.

Anna sat alone in her room, perched on her window seat overlooking the view. She kept her hands curled around her knees hugging them tightly to her chest. Her back slumped from the position of her sitting as she allowed her spine to curve slightly more forward to tighten the ball she'd made herself into. She didn't use blankets; instead wearing only a casual long-sleeved pale green dress letting her neat braids lay in between her back and the wall. She'd chosen to keep the window closed but not sealed deciding that the chill behind it helped numb her brain (unsuccessfully). Small rays of light cascaded down her face, through her eyelashes, shadowing her nose, along chapped lips. Her teeth would bite the corner of her mouth in worry. Often she'd have to remind herself to breathe, or blink, or do anything but think.

It was unusual for Anna to be up at this hour—she'd usually wake up closer to nine-o-clock—but it was expected because this day had been an anticipated one. With winter coming it only meant one thing to Anna: Ice harvesting season was over. Which also meant Kristoff had to go on a weeklong trip to gather up all the remaining supplies left over from the year. This had been a stressful two weeks.

Yes,twoweeks. It had been _two weeks_ since Anna had last seen Kristoff. _Two _weeks since he'd gone on his _one-week _trip. The ice harvesters had been due to arrive in Arendelle almost seven days ago. And in those seven days Anna had become wary.

She sat remembering the first day she had run down the grand hall and nearly falling down the steps in only her nightgown to attack Gerda for information. "They are due to arrive shortly, milady," Gerda assured her taking on a sympathetic tone. "I'll bet Kristoff is racing down the mountain to see you as we speak." This earned a delighted giggle from Anna before she ran off to wait by the stables. She waited for almost an hour, which turned into two hours, which eventually became six. Constantly she reassured herself that maybe they just didn't get an early enough start. She waited and waited until the last rays of sun had disappeared over the horizon and her dress maids were forced to retrieve her before she caught a cold.

Anna protested at first, but succumbed to their pleas within minutes.

As Anna was dressed and readied for bed she kept an optimistic idea on the situation. "Well, this kind of thing has had to have happened before," one of her maids had said. Anna gave a nod and a small smile in return. She knew there was minimal reason for worry, but she couldn't hide her deflated mood very well. She'd wait patiently until she had a real reason for worry, even though it pained her not knowing where Kristoff was.

The next four days continued in the same routine. She'd wait from dawn to dusk, or until her maids had the courage to bring her back in. Each night she grew increasingly anxious and each night she would always ask the same questions, "Any word from the harvesters?"

"No," said Gerda, sympathetic as always in situations like these.

"Has anyone gone to retrieve them?"

"No, that's hardly necessary."

"What about messenger birds? Have they returned?"

"None, milady." With those words Anna would always visibly deflate.

"They did say they'd only be gone for…" Anna trailed off already knowing the answer to her question.

"One week, milady," Gerda had finished for her and patted her comfortingly with a look of pity in her eyes. Anna had slowly lay on her mattress and pulled the covers over her face.

On the fifth day Anna started the same way except instead of jumping out of bed, she crawled. She felt tired, deflated, and wanted Kristoff's big, burly arms instead of her own. Upon reaching her closet, Anna slowly dressed in whatever was clean, not really caring much what she looked like (Again, this was unusual for her. Normally she would fret over small things like if her hips looked big enough in a certain dress or if her stockings were the right color). Once dressed Anna made her way down the steps towards the dining hall, barely noticing the strange looks some of the castle servants were giving her. She yawned tiredly and sat in her seat with a resounding thump noticing the table had yet to be served.

"Elsa? Didn't we ma—," looking up she didn't find Elsa in her usual seat, or anywhere else for that matter. Taking in the room she didn't see Kai or Gerda either. Or anyone she even recognized. In fact there were only two other people in the room—both young soldiers who rarely found themselves within the castle walls except on occasions where physical help was needed. Confused, Anna looked at the one she thought to be older with a mind to say something before the large door at the end of the hall began to open and in came a tall, balding man with a thin mustache and lanky arms. His brow was shiny and coated in a thin layer of sweat and his suit was that of one of the royal butlers but Anna had never seen him before. She assumed he was one of Elsa's new recruits as he avoided all eye contact with Anna while he spoke.

"Ah… Princess Anna we have a, um… message for you. From your sister. She wishes to see you um, in her library. Right now… please." He stared at his toes as he said this, his hands twisting a ring around his index finger rapidly. He fidgeted his arms and switched his weight from foot to foot anxiously. Anna swore she could literally see the sweat emitting from his pores.

Barley giving the man a smile, Anna got up and walked out of the room. She walked at a steady pace and attempted to control her breathing. Her stomach churned at the thought of what Elsa might have to say to her. And more importantly, _who _was it about. She had hoped-knowing already that it was what she hoped it wouldn't be-that it was good news. That the messenger birds had found their way there and back and had good news about the harvester's whereabouts. She hoped they had said they were safe, that they had made a wrong turn (though she knew how unlikely that was) and found themselves lost, but were on their way back already. She hoped they had just prolonged their stay-that they needed more ice. She hoped they weren't dead. She needed to know they weren't dead. But through all that hoping she already knew. Before she even walked into Elsa's library, she knew what Elsa had to say.

"I'm so sorry, Anna," Elsa said before pulling Anna into a tight hug. Anna gently hugged her back, her posture sagging. She felt worn out and even more anxious at Elsa's words. "It's the Ice Harvesters," she said before pulling back to explain. "They… came back—but Anna, before you get excited… not _all _ofthem came back." Elsa paused to let the words sink in. Anna gave a small nod and looked at Elsa's neck, her face becoming a shade paler but not looking the least bit surprised. She was prepared for this.

"What do you mean not all of them came back?" Anna's voice was an octave higher.

Elsa's eyebrows creased together and her eyes stared in Anna's unmoving ones. "Only half came back, if that even. And… Kristoff wasn't with them. They told us everything—why they were delayed, Anna. I-it was because they were attacked. By wolves. It was cold and dark and they were split up and oh, Anna I'm so sorry..." Elsa waited for Anna to look up but she never did. When Anna spoke it was nearly monotone.

"Do they know…?"

"No," Elsa said barely above a whisper. Anna nodded, stiff and curt. She turned on her heel and calmly left the room.

That night Anna had cried. She stifled her sobs with her pillow and remained in a tight ball as she did now, resting on her window seat. Today was the sixth day since the ice harvester's were meant to come home. Since Kristoff was meant to come bounding through the castle doors and lift Anna into the air with a tight hug and say something so sappy and dorky that Anna would know it was him. But now she sat wondering if she would even see him again.

The Anna sitting there wasn't the Anna everyone knew. She had traveled deep within her mind and stayed there, floating comfortably on a leaf down a river without anyone to disturb. Her eyes were hazy and seemed to look past the world outside, into her own place of heart where she could do whatever she wanted. The Anna on the outside decided she was cold, and heartless.

No one knew where Kristoff was, or any of the other ice harvesters were either. Most didn't even care. Most assumed they were dead, as the odds were severely out of their favor. The rest of the ice harvesters were likely dead. Kristoff was likely dead.

Anna stayed there looking into the mountains for a long time. It could've been hours, or maybe just minutes, but the world seemed like it stopped. She would wait until the sting had numbed and she could go to Elsa.

_Thump, thump, thump._

She wouldn't eat or sleep, she decided.

_Creeeeak._

She'd be moody and mean to everyone.

_Click._

Including whatever idiot decided to just walk into her room. "I've told everyone that I'm not to be disturbed. I won't be attending breakfast today, or lunch for that matter." Anna heard the quiet sound of cotton slipping from skin and then a soft thunk. Whoever it was needed a bath and Anna wouldn't hesitate to throw them in the fjord if they didn't leave immediately. "Did you not hear—"

"Didn't you miss me at _all,_ feisty pants?"

Anna's head snapped towards the sound, Kristoff standing in it's place holding his arms wide. His hair was disheveled, his cap still tucked on. His usual tunic still had small bits of snow on it, but now lay on the floor. He wore a grey wool sweater with his red sash and black snow pants. Anna wasn't sure but she thought she saw bandages coming down his arm and ending at his wrist (his sleeve covered most of it) and to be honest she didn't have time to care. She jumped straight into his embrace.

"Ouch-H-hey there!" Kristoff braced her weight refusing to double over in pain. She really hit home on his chest. He could feel Anna was shaking, and he knew her eyes would be full of tears once he let go. Deciding to avoid that conflict, Kristoff moved to sit on the bed and lay her by his side. He gingerly started to shift under her head on his chest. "You okay there?"

Anna just mumbled incoherently against him. She grasped at his clothing as if he might slip away again and buried herself in between his bicep and chest. Her legs found their way around his and clung to Kristoff's torso. He lay on his back and she on her side. Kristoff tried to crane his neck to look at Anna but he only caught a glimpse of her braids messily strewn behind her. "I couldn't quite catch that, Anna," He said sighing. Kristoff knew he must've put her through hell while he was gone.

Mumbling. Again. Only this time it had been sufficiently louder. He kissed the top of her skull and didn't mention it. She could mumble all she wanted to if it made her feel better. She continued to silently hold onto him and let tears fall down her cheeks.

And then she finally spoke in a coherent tone.

"Kristoff, you _idiot_."

He couldn't help but smile at that. The statement went past being an insult; it showed him that his Anna was still there and fighting. Anna looked up at him with wide blue eyes, eyebrows knitted and lips tightly pulled together. Kristoff felt nervous enough to plead guilty.

"I, uh—um Anna, I'm sorry. I-I mean, I didn't mean—y'know, everything and—me being gone—" Anna giggled with a watery smile stopping Kristoff. It didn't matter. He was home and he was awkward and that was fine by her.

"I missed you," She said. "I know about the wolves and what happened. It couldn't have been your fault even if you tried. I'm just glad you're here with me. Home." Anna laid her head back down as Kristoff winced at the contact. Suddenly her eyes shot open and she looked up at him. "What's wrong?" There was obvious fear in her eyes as she asked the question.

"Well uh, that was the other thing I needed to talk to you about… When the wolves attacked, I uh—I was the tail of the group (because y'know, whole ice master and deliverer thing), and I got a bit of a scratch," Anna's eye widened further and tears threatened to spill over again. He held up the hand that wasn't full of Anna. "No, Anna, it's just that. A small scratch—I'm fine. Honest."

Anna wasn't having it. "Show me."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea…" He sat up lookin down at her stoic face and knew he wasn't getting out of this one. Kristoff loved having her worry about him (though he'd never admit to it) but with a wound like this Anna would exhaust herself trying to care for him. He couldn't lie; if it had been her he would've checked her for wounds right away. But Anna was Anna and Kristoff could handle himself. Maybe he should've waited before coming straight to her room—his resolve was crumbling.

After looking over her face a bit, Kristoff's lips became a firm line and his brows furrowed above his eyes. Slowly he tore his gaze away from hers and began completely pulling off his sweater. Anna gasped silently when she saw the bandages traveling all the way from his left shoulder to his belly button. Kristoff looked at her almost guilty expression when she nodded for him to continue. The gauze came off easily and gradually. It was very wide and very thick; the other harvesters hadn't had to use much to cover Kristoff's broad expanse of chest. And that was saying some thing, as it was obvious to everyone that he was big—he was nearly a foot taller than most men and almost twice that amount taller than Anna. He had muscle from a lifetime of ice harvesting that made his height even more impressive because unlike other tall men, he wasn't lanky. Kristoff's size was intimidating to those who didn't know him. After a moment of speaking with him you could tell he had social issues-his awkwardness and keep-to-himself attitude took away from the almost scary first impression he could make.

Anna knew that aspect about him all too well because when he finished unwrapping his bandages her face was dusted with a pink blush along with a look of utter shock. His chest had obviously been mauled. The wounds dragged diagonally from his left pectoral muscle all the way down under his rib cage on his right side. Four main lines had ripped themselves into his skin, just deep enough to require the stitches sewn there. There were other shallow tears in his skin near the thicker, gruesome areas of the ripped scars. Most likely they were from the strain of his skin being pulled open.

Anna audibly gasped this time and visibly recoiled. Kristoff held himself up with his hands on either side of him looking at Anna taking in every reaction she had to the marks. She tentatively started to reach toward his stitches. Everything was red—it all looked like it had once been inflamed and almost purple. The wounds, Anna could tell, had been stitched up in the past 8 hours. The red was there but hadn't completely diminished from being cleaned and fumbled with. Looking at Kristoff and then back at her hand, Anna ghosted over his chest with soft fingers. He could barley feel it, but the contact was nice—until she rested her hand fully on his shoulder.

"Ah-ouch! Agh, that—that's still tender," He said smiling at her.

"Sorry! Sorry… I didn't—Kristoff, oh—" She started to fumble and recoil again with an apologetic face.

"It's fine—you're fine. I mean—I can handle it. Don't, don't worry about it," again he smiled, reassuring Anna that she hadn't hurt him. He looked at her and she almost smiled back until again she stared at his chest.

"How exactly did that happen?" Anna gazed into Kristoff's eyes patiently waiting for an answer. For a moment Kristoff was mesmerized by the way her lashes looked when her eyes fluttered upward. The soft teal color of them made him nervous and calm at the same time, to the point where he was just a living oxymoron.

She now sat with her knees under her on the bed facing Kristoff who rested his upper body against the headboard. "Well, when the wolves attacked, it just came out of nowhere. First we didn't fully know what to do except to split up and hope for the best. We expected the wolves to split as well, only, they ended up only chasing my half of the split. Another man was hurt—but it wasn't anything fatal. His wrist twisted badly from the weight of sword or something; I don't remember. There had to have been around four wolves." Kristoff paused a moment staring down at his lap. "Then one of the wolves attacked Sven. It jumped on his back and all I could think to do was _get him off_. I kicked with both of feet at it to make it fall off but it left me in a vulnerable position.

"Another one grabbed a hold of my chest. And… well, y'know," He gestured towards his chest and watched Anna's reaction. She only sat there in thought before she gently got up and began walking towards the bathroom. Kristoff stared after her until her couldn't see her anymore. Then she spoke.

"How did they stitch you up? Er, I mean, how did they clean the wound? I don't think you would've had much time…" Anna called from the bathroom.

"Well we had to move quickly, so we had barely an hour to spare before traveling back to Arendelle. They rinsed it with water, but that was the extent of the cleaning." Kristoff called back curious as to what she was doing. He could hear shuffling and cabinets closing.

Anna returned with a bowl of hot water and went back to retrieve two weird looking bottles and a soft, white towel. She sat back down on the bed and drew her bedside table with the items on it closer to her. "I thought so. Water won't do much for an animal inflicted wound except remover the initial dirt. I have medicine here that'll keep foreign germs from the wolves' skin and fur from infecting you." Anna started to dip the towel into the water bowl. "Hold still… This might sting." Her face looked scared and determined, unlike her usual smile. She winced before placing the towel on Kristoff's chest.

Kristoff hissed in pain but otherwise ignored it. He decided to talk instead of focus on his chest. "How'd you know this much about fixing up wounds?" He asked Anna as a distraction.

Anna giggled lightly, "Have you _met _me? My parents, knowing how clumsy I could be, decided to have me educated on all the medical necessities-I had to create a makeshift splint for my ankle once when I tripped on a walk through the forest." She spoke as if it was obvious.

"Oh," he smiled. "That'll ease my mind in the future." That was something Kristoff thought about a lot, Anna getting hurt and him not being there to help her. He winced again as Anna started to dab alcohol on the wound. She gave him an apologetic grimace before talking again.

"Sorry! I know it hurts but it'll get better. Trust me," She tried to give him a smile but his eyes were closed tight. Anna sighed, "Y'know… I really missed you."

"You said that already," Kristoff cringed inwardly realizing how stupid that must've sounded. Anna made a weird face as she spoke.

"Its just Elsa told me about you not coming with the rest of them and the wolves and I didn't—I couldn't—"

"Hey, hey, hey now. Don't get all sappy on me—where's that little goof ball I know?" He said as Anna's eyes began to get wet. Kristoff pushed off the towel on his chest and took Anna in for a hug.

"Wait—Kristoff your stitches!" Anna nearly panicked.

"It's fine, they don't hurt," He continued to trap Anna in a bear hug. She remained tense and didn't move for a moment but soon relaxed into his embrace. They were still I the early months of their relationship and hadn't completely gotten used to all the physical contact. It was only October and the Great Thaw had resolved in early June—which meant Anna was finally taking it slow. She was still scarred by Hans' cruelty and wished to have her and Kristoff's time together be a little more sentimental. It still pained her to think of how stupid she'd been to let Hans in so easily. She knew in her heart that Kristoff would never do what Hans did (hell, he didn't even like sleeping in the castle), but for the sake of her own ease, she would wait a while for saying those three little words.

"You okay?" Kristoff spoke through he silence.

"Just… Thinking." Anna had been doing a lot of that lately. Especially after Kristoff's disappearance. "Kristoff, remember four months ago… when I almost froze to death?"

"Of course I do." Kristoff said almost in defiance. He pulled the blanket up over them a litte more and tucked it especially tight around Anna making her smile inside. "What about it?"

"Well, when you came back with Sven and I was walking across the fjord to get to you, why did you come back?" Anna stared at his pectoral muscles tracing the now numb wounds there.

"Because I knew you were it trouble. I saw the swirling storm cloud and I just, I had a feeling I needed to get to you. I don't really know why," A beat. "I needed to make sure you were safe."

Anna looked up at him now smiling, her cheeks finally touching her eyes. "Hans betrayed me." Her smile faded. She didn't know why she said it, that wasn't even where she planned to go with this. Kristoff's expression grew tense.

"He did." He softened. "I would _never_ do that to you."

"I know… And I also know that I've taken thing pretty slow these past few months too. I guess I was scared, but, the thing is, I'm not scared anymore." Anna's eyes fluttered to Kristoff's confused expression. She was ready to tell him, she knew.

"Anna—what—"

"These past few days, while you were gone—I thought you were dead, Kristoff. And I hadn't realized how much that scared me. I couldn't handle that thought, that idea—that you were gone. That I would never see you again. And I realize now that if that were to ever happen—I need you to know." She took in a shaky breath and locked her eyes with him. She took in his face; his dimples, his warm amber eyes. The lock of blonde hair swept over his forehead, the way his brows knitted together as she talked and how the light made his face even more endearing. She smiled and became calm, ever more sure. "Kristoff, I love you."

His face quickly turned from confusion to utter joy. He smiled ear to ear, a goofy grin slapped onto his face. Anna nearly laughed at his expression being almost comical until it took a more serious tone.

"And you know I love you too." He tilted her chin up and kissed her deeply. She mewled in delight when his grip tightened, arms slithering up her back. There was more feeling shared in that kiss than the other ones they'd had. Anna was finally content, and Kristoff couldn't be more at ease… except for one thing. "…But I'm pretty sure that numbing medicine is finally wearing off and I can't keep this up much longer."

She shoved him away giggling and they couldn't have been happier.


End file.
